Fuel-saving device



Jan. 13. 1925.. 1,522,508

R. D. GEORGE FUEL SAVING DEVICE Ill Russell ./.2 Qeye.

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FUEL SAYING DEVI GE Filed June 16 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 abkommen,

Jan, 13.

R. D. GEORGE FUEL SAVING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 16 1923 n Zin/vanto? Russell D. Geoye.

, 'lccomw Patented Jan. 13, 1925.

F-FICE.

RUSSELL D. GEORGE, OF BOULDER, COLQRADO.

FUEL-SAVING DEVICE.

Application filed June 16,

`T0 all trito/n. t 72u63/ Concern.'

Be it linown that l, RUSSELL D. Geenen7 a citizen of the United States, residing at Boulder, county of Boulder` and State of Colorado. hare invented certain new anduseful lmprovements in Fuel-Saving Devices; and do dei-lare the following to he a full, clear. and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference heingvhad to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of refer-I ence marked thereon, which form a part ot this specification.

This invention relates to fuel saving devices of the type sometimes referred to as csmoke ahaters and has special reference to an improved form of this type of device.

ln the burning` of coal two distinct chemical processes are involved. The first is the destructive distillation of the coal which takes place at a comparatively low temperaturei and does not require the aid of air or ox' gen. The second the oxidation or comhus'ion of materials produced hy destructive distillation. and takes place at comparativi-.- ly high temperatures hy the aid of oxygen from the air.

The destrurtive distillation in'oducts which are chiefly concerned in the coi'nhustion are lnfdrogen,l carhon monoxide, hydrocarbons` and colzeor carhon` and they may he called the prepared fuel. lt is the oxidation or combustion of these products which produces the heat. and themaximum yield of heat is obtained only by complete comhustion.

Perfect con'ihustion can he secured only hy supplying `the proper amount of oxygen at theproper time.y bringing it .into iniimate contact with the prepared fuel7 and securing the necessary heat for `full and quick ignition. Such conditions rarely` obtained in lfractice, and the principal ohstacle .in the way of securing them lies in the intermittent feeding of the furnace. Tvllhen the feed door is opened a flood of cool air is drawn into the lire hox hy the draft. replacing` the hot vapors over the lire hed. greatly reduc- -ing the temperature, and weakening the draft h v substituting heavier Cool air for the highl;Y heated and lighter vapors rising from the tire hed, rlhe fresh coal added is and of the vapors over Athe lire hed.

1923. Serial No. 645,904.

cold, is a poor conductor of heat, and further reduces the temperature of the lire bed. The coal added tends to impe-de the-draft from helow the grate, and reduces the supply of oxygen in contact with the prepared fuel. As a consequence of these conditions combustion is extremely slow and may almost cease.

But the temperature of the fire hed is still ample for the distillation process which is hastened hy the fresh coal added. Thusthe material for combustion issupplied most rapidly at a time when the conditionsV for combustion are poorest. As a consequence large quantities of finely divided carbon (colloidal), and large volumes of combustible gaseshydregen.y carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons-pass out of the chimney unhurnt. The results of these conditions are:

l. An excessive production of the prepared fuel-hydrogen, carbon monoxide` hydrocarbons, and colte or carbon in finely divided formaccumulating over the tire hed and shutting out the air.

2. An insufficient supplyv of air for the combustion of the prepared fuel, and a lack of contact between the oxygen of the air and the fuel.

3. A greatly reduced temperature. frequently below the ignition point of the fuel.

1. Volumes of unhurnt fuel gases and dense smoke are drawn up the chimney andv wasted. The waste in gases is proportional to the smoke density.

To secure complete con'ihustion there must he an adequate supply of air immediately over the fire bed, intimately mingled with the fuel gases and finely divided carbon ris ing from it9 and the temperature must he high enough for prompt and rapid ignition. lThe process Vand apparatus hereindescribed supplyrthe neededvair, mingle it intimately withthe gases and carbon rising from the lire'hed, raise theY temperatru'e of the mixture to the point of ready ignition and secure complete comlmstion` and the consequent saving of fuel.

The process consists in conducting heated air down upon the surface of the fire hed. mingling it intimately with the prepared fuel, and raising the temperature of the mixture ahove the ignition point.

The apparatus consists `of an air ductor passage of pla-te or cast-iron terminating in a grid nozzle, and provided with an automatically operating damper or shutoff within the duct. It is attached to the inside of the feed door of the furnace and extends well int-o the fire chamber over the fire bed so as to place the'heated air where it is need ed to accomplish the purpose. The inner end of the apparatus is built heavy so as to secure the storage of a large amount of heat during the periods between the feedings of the furnace. The grid or latticed nozzle. is designed:

l. To baffle the passing air7 dela-ying it long enough to raise its temperature.

2. To present a large surface of radiation from which heat passes into the air traveling through it to the lire bed.

3. To bre-ak and scatter the air current causing it to mingle with the gases rising from the fire bed.

Ail. To cause a` wide lateral distribution of the air over the lire bed and to give it a downward course to carry it to the desired place against the upward movement of the draft toward the chimney, and thus secure a` mingling of the air with the fuel gases and carbon over the fire bed.

The drawings show a preferred form of the apparatus, but modifications are designed to meet the conditions arising from different furnace designs and different coals used.

Thus, for furnaces having' a hea vy insulation or lining there is provided a. hinged extension of the duct which will carry the air farther into the furnace'. This is also desirable in the case of furnaces having a long lire bed.

lVhen the feed door is closed the damper or shut-ofiI in the ductis automatically opened and air in'nnediately pours into the lire box. A timing valve is arranged to close the damper in the time which by experience is found to be suflicient to prevent the fuel loss consequent upon the conditions arising from the operation of feeding the furnace, or7 in other words, in the time which experience proves to be necessary to re-establish normal combustion conditions in the fire box, and to render the use of the apparatus no longer necessary until the next feeding. The closing of the butterfly damper is done in such a way as to aid in giving the passing air a downward movement along the lower side of the duct.

In the longer, hinged apparatus, the hinge is placed just back of the nozzle so that when the door is opened the nozzle swings over toward the hinge line of the door, and so reduces its length that it will pass out of the doorway.

ln order to more clearly describe my invention, l shall have reference to the acis a. section taken on line 3 3,

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 6-6.

Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 shows a modification intended to be used in connection with furnaces having a vvery thick insulating lining 0r a` very deep or long fire bed; and

Fi g. 8 shows how the parts shown in Fig. T are adapted to bend so as to permit the door to be opened and closed.

The same reference numerals will be employed to designate the same parts throughout the several views. In the drawings numeral l represents a fuel door of a furnace and 2 the stationary frame to which it is connected by means of hinges 3 in the usual manner. The furnace wall 4: may be of brick as it usually is when the furnace relates to a steam boiler and in such case is of considerable thickness. My device is7 however, equally well adapted to be used on any ordinary hot air or hot water heater7 such as are ordinarily employed in connection with the heating of residences and in such cases the wall 4 is comparatively thin. The door l is formed with a central opening and has secured to the inside thereof an air duct 5 preferably formed of `castiron. This air duct has a substantially rectangular tubular `inlet canal 6 whose inner dimensions are substantially the same as that of the opening in the door. Lugs 7 are formed near the outer end of the tubular inlet canal and are provided with holes for the reception of bolts 8. by means of which the air duct is secured to the inner surface of the door in the manner shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The inner end of the air duct is enlarged by having the sides 9 outwardly inclined and the bottom l() downwardly inclined in the manner shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This enlarged end. which I shall refer to as the nozzle, is provided with a plurality of openings 1l. the axes of which are angularly inclined with each other in such a way that the air emerges in a plurality of downwardly and outwardly directed streams which mingle with the gases arising from the lire@ bed. The inner end or nozzle is purposely made massive so that it will store a large quantity of heat during the periods between 'the firingy in order that the air which enters thc tui-nace through the openings ll may bccome highly heated. The total cross-sectional area ot the openings ll is less than the ross-sectional area ot the inlet canal so that the air retarded in its iiow, whereby `riore thorough heatingr is secured. The expansion ot the air, due to heating. also acts as a batlle. as the volume is thereby increased. Directly in trout of the entrance to the openings ll and within the canal (S l place a plurality ot louvers l2 which are pivotally connec'ei. at l' to the vertical sides oit the air canal (Figi. 2). rod lil is pivotally secured to each louver at l5 and is provided al each end with nuts 16 by means ot which it can be held in adjusted position. The tunction of the louvers l2 is to regulate the maximum quantity ot air that will be permitted to Ienter the openings 1l at a given pressure. The conditions under which a 'urnace operates wth respect to the draft and the quality ot coal burned is different tor ever;Y installation and a device. that would he adjusted to contorni to the requirements ot one case would not be suitable tor use in another place. The adjustment atl'orded by the louvers l2 enab-les the device to be readily adapted to any ordinary installation. Attention is called to the. tact t the louvers l2 are so arranged that when in their partly closed position the space between them is downwardly and inv-fardly inclined so that the air will be given a downward direction. lillithin the air canal 3 l-etween the louvers and the furnace door, place a dam )er l? which is pivotally maint/ed on the. rod 18. rhe damper is slightly wider than the air duct so that when ie damper closed. it occugies a position he that shown in 2 forming an angle about .sixty degrees with the lower surce ot' the channel, andVH while it in any ly open position. the air will be given n ward direction which causes the bulk tlv air to travel along the lower side of e air canal and to enter the lowermost ot ic openings ll which are heated to a ifiher tr-nu'ieraturc than the others and which also distribute the air to better advanta-'1c over the lire.

tention is directed at this point to the i'art that the damper and the louvers/` as well as the adjusting and operating mechanisrn. are all enclosed within the air canal so as to he protected 'from injury.

rThe damper l? is provided on one side with Van arm 19 to which the connecting rod :Bil is pirotally attached. rlfhe other arm ot rofl 2() is pivotally secured by means oft a bolt 2l to the end ot the cranlr arm 22 ot the. dash pot which may be a standard dash pot ot the type employed in connection with doors. Since the dash pot is merelj.rv f. standard and well ,known article. it has not been shown in detail and will not be described, except to this extent: That it is so constructed that it permits the damper l? to more 'freely trom closed to open position and retards the closing o't the damper to any extent desired, being provided with means tor adjusting,` the rate ot' closing. lt is also provided with a spring that tends to move the damper to closed position in opposition to the action ot the dash pot. Pivotally secured to one oft the vertical sides ot the air canal G, by means oit a pin 2st. is a lever which projects down wardly below the bottom of the air canal (l in the manner shown in Fig. 9.. Secured to the outer surface ot the dan'iper is a lug lo which is in position to he engaged by the upper end ot the lever when the latter is moved about its pivot in a counter-electwise direction. lVhen a torce is applied to the lever 25, which moves it in a counterclockwise direction about its pivot, the upper end thereof will strike the lug 26 and move the damper to open position (shown in dotted lines in Fin'. 2), trom which position the damper is slowly returned to closed position by means ot the spring' and dash pot above eter-red to. It a. torce is* applied to the ever which rotates it in a clockwise diect-ion. it swings freely. The above de scribed characteristics ot' the lever and its mounting;v is taken advantage of in obtaining automatic opening` ot the damper as the door is closed after each feeding of tuel. lugr or projection 2T .is secured to the lower side ot the door trame, This lug projects upwardly into the path ot the lower end ot the lerer 25 so that when the door is opened. the proiection causes the lever to rotate in a clockwise direction about its pivot, which. as above explained` is without etlfect. Then the door is closed. the projection 23,' will cause the lever to rotate in a counter-clock wisc direction which moves the damper to open position (shown dotted in Fitz'.

Vln the manner and by the means above described, l obtain the opening ot the dann per as the door closes. This is an important teature tor the reason that by setting); the mechanism, by the closing' action ot tlu` door, the damper will always remain open a predetermined time after the door closes. it. t'or example, the damper were opened when the door was opened. the time which the damper remained open atter the door was closed would be indeterminate as it would depend upon the time that the door remained open. l theretore consider this an important teature et my invention. in order to tally protect the dash pot 25 and to give a Vfinished appearance to the 'tui-nace door, l secure to the trout side thereot an enclosing' casing. which is held in place on the door by means ot' screws 29. The ends and trout ot said casing,` is provided with lllll stationary louvers 30 which are spaced apart a suiiicient distance to permit the maximum amount of air to enter. The casing 28 completely encloses the movable and vulnerable parts and prevents them from becoming accidentally broken or purposely tampered with by unauthorized parties.

In the drawings the air duct 5 is shown as formed from an integral casting, which is perfectly feasible and possesses several advantages over an assembled air duct, hut I desire to have it understood that my invention is not to be limited to the specific method employed in the construction of the device, and that the air duct can be made Vfrom a plurality of separate castings or of plates assembled to form a structure like that shown and described without thereby departing from the invention.

The mechanism shown and described in Figs. 1 to 6 is` intended for a'furnace having a wall of average thickness. lhere my device is to be used in connection with furnaces having extra thick walls or where the tire bed is long, it is necessary to make the air duct longer, and it often'happcns that it must be made of such length that if it were made rigid as shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the door could not be opened. For the purpose of being able to employ air ducts of the proper length and also be able to open and close the door, I have devised a hinged air duct which is shown in Figs. 7 and 8, and which consists of a rectangular, tubular inlet canal (la, similar to the part 6 in Figs. 2 and 3. This part contains the damper 17 and damper operating mechanism. The inner end of the tubular inlet canal is notched and has inwardly extending sides 81. Pivotally secured to the inner end of member 6a is the nozzle 32, which has a portion thereof 33 outwardly curved on an arc whose center is the pivot 34. The nozzle 32 is constructed and shaped exactly the same as the corresponding part shown in Figs. 2 to 5, except as to the end, which cooperates with the inner end of the part 6a. This end has the aforesaid arcuate portion 33 on one side and the other side is cut away in the manner sho-wn in Figs. 7 and 8. This construction permits the part 32 to turn about its pivot 3e in the manner shown in Fig. 8 sufiicientlyv to permit the door to be opened and closed. Formed integral with the nozzle 32 are pairs of ears 35 between which is pivoted the rollers 36 which are adapted to cooperate with the sides 3T of the. opening or with specially constructed guides that assist in moving the parts into the position shown in Fig. 8 and back again into the position shown in Fig. 7 by means such as that just described. A very long air duct can be employed with an ordinary sized 'door opening'.

From the above description, it will be apparent that I have produced a fuel saving device` for furnaces that has many points of merit, among lwhich I will call attention to the following:

The damper and damper mechanism is entirely enclosed and protected from injury.

The cross-section of the openings in the nozzle is less than the cross-section of the inlet canal and therefore the air flow is retarded so that it will absorb more heat from the heated surfaces with which it comes in contact.

' The nozzle is designed so that it will spread the air laterally and direct it downwardly onto the coal bed.

Y The nozzle is made massive so as to store a large quantity of heat and is provided with a large number of comparatively small openings so that the air comes into contact with a large amount of radiating surface. In the smaller devices the friction or radiating surface with which the air contacts is over 12 square feet.

The air is not merely introduced into the K combustion chamber, but it is directed to the point where it can be most efliciently'used to moet the chemical and physical conditions required for complete combustion.`

The damper is so positioned that it directs the bulk of the air along the lower side of the duct or canal where it will come in contact with the hottest surfaces and will enter the lowermost openings in the nozzle. The damper is automatically opened when the door closes, thereby assuring that the same will close a predetermined time after the door is closed. The time that the damper remains open is determined by the adjustment of the dashpot which can be 'varied at will.

The maximum amount of air that can enter may be controlled by the adjustable louvers to suit the needs of the furnace, the character of the coal and the intensity of the firing.

'Ihe entire apparatus, except the enclosing casing, is inside and therefore there is nothing t0 interfere with or add to the duties of the fireman.

f The device is very simple and consists of only a very few parts which are substantial and of great strength so that there is a minimum of breakage.

I-Iaving now'described my invention, what I claim as new is:

l. In combination, a furnace, a wall enclosing and forming a combustion chamber, said wall having a feed opening therein, a door hingedly connected to one side of said opening, said door having an .opening therein, an air duct secured to the inner surface of said door, the inner end of said duct being formed with a plurality of openings, a damper within said duct adapted to close the same, means for normally maintaining the damper in closed position, means for opening the damper whenever the door is closed, means for retarding the closing of said damper, a plurality of louvers between the damper and the ends of said openings, and means for adj usting the size of the openings between said louvers.

2. In combination, a furnace, a wall enclosing and forming a combustion chamber, said wall having a feed opening therein, aI door hingedly connected to one side of said opening, said door having an opening therein, an air duct secured to the inner surface of said door, the inner end of said duct being formed with a plurality of openings, a damper within said duct adapted to close the same, means for nor ally maintaining the damper in closed position, means for opening the damper whenever the door is closed, means for retarding the closing of said damper, a plurality of louvers between the damper and the ends of said openings, and means for adjusting the size of the openings between said louvcrs, said damper and said louvers being inclined downwardly and inwardly when in partly open position.

3. ln a furnace in combination, a wall enclosing and forming a combustion chamber adapted for the burning of carbonaceous fuel, said wall having a feed opening therein, a door adapted to close said opening, said door being movably secured in place so as to be readily opened, said door having an opening therein, an air duct secured to the inner surface of said door, the inner end of said air duct being provided with a plurality of divergent openings whose combine-d cross-sectional area is less than the cross-sectional area of said air duct, a damper within said duct, said damper being adapted to close the passageway through the duct, means for normally maintainingthe damper in closed position, means for opening said damper whenever the door` is closed, means comprising a dash pot for retarding the closing of the damper, means for adjusting the rate at which the damper closes, and means between the damper and the openings for controlling the maximum amount of air that may enter said openings under predetermined conditions, said last named means being provided with an adjusting mechanism.

a. An air duct adapted to be secured to the inner surface of a furnace door, said duct having its inner end closed by a thick wall which is perforated by a plurality of openings whose greatest transverse dimension is less than the thickness of the wall, a. damper within said duct, said damper being movably mounted therein and adapted to close the opening through said duct, and a pluralit of spaced, adjustable louvers between tie damper and the openings.

5. n air duct adapted to be secured to the inner surface of a furnace door, said duct 4having its inner end closed by a thick wall which is perforated by a plurality of openings whose greatest transverse dimension is less than the thickness of the wall, a damper within said duct, said damper being mov-ably mounted therein and adapted to close the opening through said duct, and a plurality of spaced, adjustable louvers between the damper and the openings, said louvers having means for adjusting the area of the opening between them.

t5. ln combination, a wall provided with an opening, a door hingedly connected to the wall and adapted to close said opening, said door having an opening therein, an air duct secured to the inner surface of the door, a dan'iper within said duct,said damper being pivotally mounted on a horizontal axis, a lever pivotally mounted to one side of said duct, a portion of said lever being within the duct and another' portion being without the duct, the part of the lever within the duct being adapted to enga-ge the damper and rotate iton its axis when the lever is moved in one direction.

T. in combination, a wall provided with an opening, a door hingedlv connected to the wall and adapted to close said opening, said door having an opening therein, an air duct secured to the inner surface of the door, a damper within said duct, said damper being pivotally mounted on a horizo-ntal axis, a lever pivotally mounted to one side of said duct, a portion of said lever being within the duct and another portion being without the duct, the part of the lever within the duct being adapted to engage the damper and rotate it on its axis when the lever is moved in one direction, and means secured to the opening in the wall and adapted to project into the path of the outer end of the lever and to swing the lever about its pivot as the door is opened and closed.

8. In combination,y a wall provided with an openino, a door hingedly connected to the wall and adapted to close said opening, said door having an opening therein, an air duct secured to the inner surface of the door, a damper within said duct, said damper being pivotally mounted on a horizontal axis, a lever pivotally mounted to one side of said duct, a portion of said lever being within the duct and another portion being without the duct, the part of the lever within the duct being adapted to engage the damper and rot-ate it on its axis when the lever is moved in one direction. means secured to the opening in the wall and adapted to project into the path ofl the outer end of the lever and to swing the lever about its pivot as the door is opened and closed, said parts being so related that the lever opens the damper When the door is closed.

9. In combination, a Wall provided with an opening, a door hingedly connected to the Wall and adapted to close said opening, said door having an opening therein, an air duct secured to the inner surface of the door, a damper Within said duct, said damper being pivotally mounted on a horizontal axis, a lever pivotally mounted to one side of said duct, a portion of said lever being Within the duct and another portion being Without the duct, the part of the lever Within the duct being adapted to engage the damper and rotate it on its axis when the lever is moved in one directions, means secured to the opening in the Wall and adapted to project into the path ot the outer end ot the lever and to swing the lever about its pivot as the door is opened and closed., said parts being so related that the lever opens the damper when the door is closed and means for yieldingly holding the damper in closed position. I

l0. In combination, a Wall provided with an opening, a door hingedly connected to the Wall and adapted to close said opening, said door having an opening therein', an air duct secured to the inner surface of the door, a damper Within said duct, said damper being pivotally mounted on a horil zontal axis, a lever pivotally mount-ed to one side oit said duct, a portion of said lever being Within the duct and another por tion being Withoutl the duct, the part of the lever Within the duct being adapted to engage the damper and rotate it on its axis when the lever is moved in one direction, means secured to the opening in the Wall and adapted to project into the path of the outer end ot' the. lever and to swing the lever about its pivot as the doorl is opened and closed, said partsl beingfso related that the lever opens the damper when the door is closed, means for yieldingly holding the damper in closed position, and means for jusing the damper to close slowly.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

RUSSELL D. GEORGE 

